OT: I don't see a lot of sense in starting from your knees anyway. It's an artificial position that should't be spent too much time on. I think people should be starting either standing, or from guard/pin.

Ask Nate Quarry about the advisability of starting standing on a crowded mat.

There are great pedagogical reasons for starting on the knees. You focus on the ground part of it all.

The only thing that doesn't usually happen is when both people stand, but that's really more of a logistics issue (mat space can't support 6-8 pairs of people standing) than anything else.

We have a pretty good sized mat. We have plenty of room to start standing even when we have 20 or so people. We stand all the time, its part of the game. There is no rule against standing up to pass or to just escape back to your feet.

I am much more comfortable standing than being on the ground. Asia and I were going at it for submission for about 15 min this morning, we went from various positions several times from guard, mount etc to standing.

One thing I have found I have to watch for with him is when I go to pass his guard he actually LETS me stand up holding onto one foot. He then will take me down into a ankle lock or a heel hook. I have had to learn that I cannot just stand up whenever I want. There is a time and place.

Our mat is pretty crowded, most of the time we can't even have everyone roll at once, so standing really isn't an option.
Plus, I think working starting from the knees reduces the chance of injury too, but I definatly feel a lack in my takedowns compared to Judoka or even wrestlers.

Speaking of handstands, we learned a cool handstand to pass open guard two weeks ago. There should totally be more flashy moves like that in BJJ.

To echo what J-Lau and others have said: at where I train, it ends up that we may stand up to stack someone while in their guard, or as part of a pass or escape. However, we always start off on our knees after bowing, shaking hands, and touching fists.

However, I think that in the Intermediate/Advanced BJJ classes, they work on takedowns for when they do actual MMA sparring.

Our mat is pretty crowded, most of the time we can't even have everyone roll at once, so standing really isn't an option.
Plus, I think working starting from the knees reduces the chance of injury too, but I definatly feel a lack in my takedowns compared to Judoka or even wrestlers.

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"even"?

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Locu5, do you mean Bull Shaw? If so, tell him that Derrick really is trying to come to class but has so much !(*&^ keeping him busy that it is not currently possible. Please don't make him do suicides when he first shows up.

For safety sake a lot of people start on their knees, especially beginners. The reason? BECAUSE OF THE LIKELYHOOD OF INJURIES.

Guys falling on other guys, especially another pair of guys who are just innocent bystandards already on the ground has produced a lot of injuries. I see it in BJJ, I saw it in Judo. People's hands get stepped on, faces, etc. What you DON'T want to happen is someone get thrown full force on top of some other group. And if your mat is full, you ...

PUT SAFETY FIRST. ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT YOU THINK IS PRACTICAL.

Thats it. Nobody is saying start from the knees all the time. Nobody is saying you should always start standing. What people are saying is given the logistical considerations of space and numbers you minimize the chance of injury by starting on the knees.

What I was saying is that there are guys who immediately jump to their feet even when this rule is in place. I like to throw those guys on their head to make sure they stop doing it.

I was under the impression that it was primarily for safety, as stated by Yrkoon and a few others. Occasionally things will get messy and, in response to a upper body grab or something I've grabbed the other guy under the knee and we both start going up with a fall of some kind imminent. At that point, we stop, let go and restart.

Lots of guys have real jobs and lives (not me, unfortunately) and can't afford any serious injury as a result of overzealous rolling. Makes sense to me. A few times, rolling with friends (who have been more than zealous, to the point of stupidity) at the campus mat I've been on the receiving end of a few nasty falls onto my toe, hand, etc. and have really regretted them.